School Building in Thailand Harvests Water in the Monsoon Season
In a region that experiences extreme weather conditions and where water holds cultural and practical significance, architecture studio Pareid created an open-space classroom with two water-collecting funnels.
Pylonesque (The Ban Wang Toey School in Uthai Thani) is covered by a roof made of two funnels which aim is to collect water and move it to the underground storage containers. In the very rural parts of Thailand, the running water is not that easily accessible, hence, the project aims at raising awareness about water among students. Also, such a flexible space is appropriate regarding the Thai climate, which brings heavy rain season followed by an extensive hot dry period as it doesn’t rely on artificial lightning or cooling.
A multi-use space at a local school is supposed to integrate architecture and local strategies as “more than just a practical response.” Hence, exercise machines have been also put to power pumps that move the water between the storage areas. The main structure is made from electricity pylons, which give the building its name, while, as a whole, it’s made of a repetition of “inverted umbrella-like modules,” according to studio Pareid.
Pylonesque responds architecturally and ecologically as a water harvesting system that combines construction techniques and materials that are regularly used in an artisanal manner with climatic sensitivity to the annual weather changes. Considering the rapidly changing weather, cities also have to adapt to such extreme conditions. Pylonesque may then not only be a solution for rural Thailand, but it may also be adapted by the urban areas.
